Is Whisky too strong to accompany food ?

No! If I'm dining out I prefer a glass of whisky with my meal to wine. Aberlour 10 goes great with a meat course and a'bunadh goes well as an after dinner dram with dessert to name just two of the many, many options.

Last edited by Lawrence on Mon Mar 15, 2004 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

A few years ago I would have thought whisky was too strong to go with food, but having now been to a quite a few dinner events where the organisers have deliberately tried to match whisky to the food, it has to be said that the two complement each other beautifully.

Have to admit that all the way to the desert, I'd have my whisky diluted (that is if I was served one). Depends on the food as well (I wonder how a vindaloo curry would evolve with just any laphroaig). 9 out of 10 times I drink wine though.

Then, desert. And with that, many sherried ones blend perfectly well with the creamy chocolaty and light cheesy desert.

I don't often have whisky with food but can recall some great combinations such as:

Jameson's standard blend with fresh natural shellfish;

1986 G&M Scapa (a much lighter and drier version than the current OB 12 yo) with beef pie;

Glenlivet 12 yo circa 1990 (when it was really tasty and fruity with much more character than it has now) with a seafood entree and then with a main course the details of which I don't remember - but it was just superb in general with food.

Japanese food

My sensei swears blind to mizuwari 12-year old Yoichi and matsutake mushrooms. He waters down the whisky to about 20% and then grills the mushrooms over charcoal with a squeeze of lime. Every autumn, he'll get through a couple of bottles and about half a kilo of matsutake.
He also swears by Ardberg 17 Year, with a dash of water, served with roast squid. Says the alcohol dissolves the rubbery texture of the squid, and the combination of salt and smoke and woodchar takes him back to the whale canteens when he was a little kid.

I think much of what was stated above, sums things up. There are a few noticible variables. Obviously the level or range of the drinker is one factor. I have a sneaky suspicion that guys who enjoy whisky from all spectrums would agree that the right whisky is a good meal companion. Where as the guy who only enjoys Lowlands or one particular whisky is probably more likely to have doubts or reservations.

The other obvious factor is choosing a good combination. That part is experience and skill but the only way the skill and experience can be gained is through willingness to try.
~mho of course...

I've always found lowlands go along with food much like a dry white wine, since they are so often dry themselves. I enjoy Bladnoch especially with salads and fowl.

Dry, toned-down islays like Caol Ila go well with seafood. I prefer to keep the strong south shore islays for after dinner as they can overpower other food.

I like a sweeter dram with ham and pork, a full bodied highlander or speysider, or even a nice Redbreast or Forty Creek Barrel Select.

Sherry and port finished speysiders and highlanders like a sherry casked Brora or Clynelish, triplewood Bushmills, etc. seem to go well with or after dessert though as I stated above, a nice smoky Lagavulin or Ardbeg goes well after dinner too.

on a more serious note - does the question in fact mean that whisky is too strong in abv? If you drink it with a healthy dash of water you might still be in the mid twenties abv which if you have a full meal and a full glass, you may end up having had 3-4 glasses (equiv to 6-8 glasses of wine) - so you may be in trouble.

Its a shame really as you end up with a dram with each course and have to drink either wine or water to keep your fluids up, so it becomes less natural.

However if you are just having a plate of food at home, a large dram with a health splash of cool water goes down great - currently i choose a nice fresh arbeg 10 y o or Glenlivet 12 which both go down very well

Is whisky too strong for food ?

I don't believe so after experiencing the Whisky and Food masterclass in Glasgow. We should be more open minded about our whisky an try new things. I was amazed how the combination of the right whisky with the right food complimented each other to make it even better[quote][/quote]

I've never tried whisky with food as an accompanyment. However the idea doesn't appeal to me. If I'm drinking a good whisky, I want to taste ALL of the subleties of the dram, and I feel food would get in the way. Also, I can only drink so much alcohol at one time and I'd much rather have something less strong with my meal so that I can have save room for the liquid dessert after.

I've never tried whisky with food as an accompanyment. However the idea doesn't appeal to me. If I'm drinking a good whisky, I want to taste ALL of the subleties of the dram, and I feel food would get in the way. Also, I can only drink so much alcohol at one time and I'd much rather have something less strong with my meal so that I can have save room for the liquid dessert after.

Just my take on things. Frodo

I have to agree with this. When I'm sampling whiskey...I just don't want any kind of food to change the taste of it. Its not really that whiskey is too strong for food...food just ruins it.

I have come to the same view myself. In India, it is extremely common for spicy snack foods to accompany whisky.. Of late, have begun to realise that it can indeed take away the flavours of the whisky.

I must confess though that I am tempted to make just that one exception and go with Bambers favourite: Bourbon and Chocolate.

Hello All,
My initial thought is that food is too strong to go with whisky. the flavors of food will mask the subtler flavors and fragrance of the whisky. On the other hand, whisky might be just the thing for clearing the palate between courses. I will have to experiment.
Ed

There are whole clubs which pair whisky and food and both the clubs and the pairings are very successful. I think most people would think it is absurd to say only wine can be served with food. I very rarely drink wine with a meal and if I am out for dinner almost always have an Aberlour 10 with my meal. You'd be amazed at how versitile whisky is with a meal.

Hi All,
I had a nice whiskey dining experience the other day. I had a couple of fingers of a bourbon called Yellowstone and then switched over to Super Nikka. We were eating Japanese food, so it was largely seafood. There was some very nice sashimi (raw tuna and raw salmon) sake is good with sashimi and sushi but beer is served with it more often. I don't like beer with it though. After a swallow of beer there is a fishy aftertaste. This was wholly absent with the whiskey. The whiskey tasted nice and cleared the palate. Very enjoyable.
Ed

The other day I was drinking bourbon, Booker's 63.35% and then had dinner, grilled eel with the sweet soy sauce based sauce the Japanese put on it along with the spice mix that they use. The eel was fantastic! Much better for having drunk the bourbon before hand.
Ed